Guy's University Blanket

Knitwits Yarns knitwitspenzance.co.uk

Those of you who have been reading this for a while may remember the day I sorted my stash a couple of years ago:

The first thing I knitted from it was a "Stashbusting Jacket", which - much as I love it - barely touched the surface of the problem:

A bigger project was called for - so I started to crochet (my first ever crochet project) a blanket for our double bed - here with the lovely Deidre, who is sadly no longer with us:

and here a couple of months later on our bed:

The bedspread is now even bigger than this, which is a clear indicator that a) I need to take more photographs of it and b) I need to finish it!

Whilst this massive project did touch the sides of the stash it only really used up the whole (or nearly whole balls).  The crochet pattern is two rows of each colour (there and back) so large(ish) quantities of each colour are required.  This left lots of small balls, some too small for this project and others the left overs from this project.  Clearly another bigish project was required.

I've had Knit Wits for over 8 years now and I know that most students get cold at some point at University and, from what I've seen, those with mothers who knit end up asking for a knitted blanket to warm them as they finish their dissertations through the wee small hours.  And thus, the stash problem and the blanket problem were resolved simultaneously.  I give you, Guy's University Blanket:

I was conscious that it couldn't be too pink (and it transpires that I have quite a lot of pink in my stash!).  As you can see, each strip was knitted on the diagonal (up to 40 stitches) then straight and the strips were sewn together to create a zig zag effect.

Eric the Three Legged Cat seems to approve (and Guy is smiling so I take that to be approval!):

I knitted most of it whilst he was away so it was a big surprise:

Having sewn it all together, I crocheted an edge:

It is now on his bed at Uni and, apparently, some of the girls have commented on it - though what on earth girls are doing in his room I have no idea .....

The stash is now smaller but there's still enough for Tom's blanket next year - watch this space .....